UNS — Universitas Sebbelas Maret (UNS) Surakarta held the Open Session of the Academic Senate in commemoration of its 50th Dies Natalis on Wednesday (11/3/2026) at the Auditorium of G.P.H. Haryo Mataram. During the event, Rector of UNS, Prof. Dr. Hartono, dr., M.Si., presented the university’s major achievements over the past year as a form of academic accountability and institutional reflection toward becoming a leading and impactful university.
Prof. Hartono stated that over the past year, UNS has continued to strengthen its role as a university contributing to national development through the reinforcement of the tridharma of higher education, research innovation, and collaboration with various stakeholders.
In institutional governance, UNS achieved the highest-ever score of 92.5 in the Government Agency Performance Accountability System (SAKIP) evaluation in 2025, earning the “Highly Satisfactory” (AA) predicate for two consecutive years, 2024 and 2025, after previously maintaining the “Satisfactory” (A) level.
In the 2025 Diktisaintek Awards, UNS was recognized as the Best Academic State University in the Task Force for the Prevention and Handling of Violence, reflecting its strong commitment to creating a safe, inclusive, and violence-free campus environment. In the same year, UNS also received the Informative Public Body Award from the Central Information Commission of the Republic of Indonesia for its excellence in public information transparency.
As part of its commitment to inclusivity, UNS received multiple recognitions for building a disability-friendly campus. The university was named the Best Higher Education Institution in the Formation and Strengthening of Disability Service Units in the 2024 and 2025 Diktisaintek Awards. UNS also received appreciation from the National Commission on Disability of the Republic of Indonesia for its commitment to promoting inclusive education. In 2026, UNS and the National Commission on Disability officially launched the UNS-KND Inclusion Metrics, a national instrument to measure university inclusivity, which is currently being implemented across higher education institutions in Indonesia.
As a university committed to sustainability and environmental awareness, UNS has shown significant progress in global sustainability rankings. In the 2025 UI GreenMetric ranking, UNS ranked 39th globally and 6th nationally, improving from 43rd place globally in the previous year. Similarly, in the Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings, which assess universities’ contributions to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), UNS rose significantly to the 301–400 global ranking group from the previous 601–800 group. The Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology has targeted UNS to enter the world’s Top 100 in THE Impact Rankings by 2030.
UNS also continues to strengthen its commitment to preserving local and national culture. Through its Javanology Center under the Cultural Development Agency, the university actively promotes Javanese cultural preservation and advancement. UNS also regularly presents the Jawametrik and Javanese Cultural Awards to institutions and individuals who significantly contribute to the preservation of Javanese culture. In 2025, UNS further strengthened this mission by establishing the Cultural Development Agency to coordinate cultural preservation programs across the university.
“We are grateful that UNS has experienced significant improvements in global rankings during 2025–2026. For example, in the QS Asia Rankings 2026 announced in November 2025, UNS rose significantly from 221st to 168th in Asia, the highest ranking we have ever achieved. This also made UNS the only university in Indonesia to receive the Performance Improvement Award from QS at the QS Higher Ed Summit: Asia Pacific in South Korea,” said Prof. Hartono.
In the Times Higher Education World University Rankings (THE WUR) 2026, released in 2025, UNS ranked second among Indonesian universities at the 1001–1200 global level, after Universitas Indonesia. In the THE WUR by Subject 2026, UNS successfully ranked in 10 out of 11 academic disciplines assessed, with Law, Arts and Humanities, and Physical Sciences achieving the number one national position.
Nationally, UNS also recorded significant achievement growth. In the 2025 Diktisaintek Awards held by the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology, UNS won awards in 10 categories, increasing from eight awards the previous year and placing fourth nationally among universities with the most awards.
In research performance, UNS reached its highest publication record in history in 2025, with 2,417 publications in Scopus-indexed international journals and proceedings.
In community service, UNS conducted 386 community engagement programs funded both internally and externally, focusing on appropriate technology implementation and the utilization of local potential to improve community economic value.
During disaster response efforts in Sumatra at the end of last year, UNS actively contributed in North Aceh, Lhokseumawe, Padang, and Agam through medical service revitalization, water purification systems, emergency energy provision, psychosocial assistance, and other humanitarian efforts.
Student achievements also showed remarkable progress. In 2025, UNS students earned 1,541 achievements at local, national, and international levels. They brought pride to Indonesia at the 2025 ASEAN Para Games in Thailand by winning 11 medals, consisting of four gold, six silver, and one bronze medal.
International achievements were also contributed by Voca Erudita Choir, Bengawan Formula Student, the Marching Band, and other student organizations. UNS became the overall champion at the 2025 Central Java Provincial Student Sports Week and ranked fourth nationally as the university contributing the most medals at the 2025 National Student Sports Week.
In partnership development, UNS signed 61 new Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) and 427 cooperation agreements (MoAs) in 2025 with various partner institutions across education, research, community service, and resource development sectors.
Infrastructure development also remains a priority under the DREAMTEAM strategic plan. In 2025, UNS completed the construction of the seven-story Vocational School building and received support for the Islamic Economics and Business Center building from the Hajj Financial Management Agency (BPKH) as well as a building grant from Bank Jateng. In 2026, UNS plans to continue infrastructure expansion for the Faculty of Animal Science and several faculties including Psychology, Medicine, Cultural Sciences, Fine Arts and Design, and Law.
In addition, UNS officially established the Sebelas Maret Endowment Fund in 2025, expected to strengthen the university’s financial independence and ensure the sustainability of quality education.
“We hope this 50th Dies Natalis becomes a milestone—a point where all components of UNS unite to accelerate institutional performance in achieving our vision, mission, and strategic plans. What we have accomplished over these five decades should serve as a strong foundation for even greater achievements in the future,” concluded Prof. Hartono.
HUMAS UNS
